Electric signaling-clock.



N0. 879,410. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908. H. S. PRENTISS. ELECTRIC SIGNALINGCLOCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1905.

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No. 879,410. PATENTED PEB. 18, 1908.

H. S. PRENTISS.

ELECTRIC SICNALING CLOCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG.4. 1905.

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No. 879,410. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

H. S. PRENTISS.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING CLOCK. APPLIOATION FILED AUGA, 1905.

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@13 egis @Hozumj HENRY S. PRENTISS, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING-CLOGK.

Specieaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

application filed August 4:. 1905. Serial No. 272.715.

To all lwhom it muy concern:

` Beit known that 1, HENRY S. PRENTIss, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of NewJersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in ElectricSignaling-Clocks, of whichthe following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to electric signaling or so-called program clockssuch as are adapted to be set to close electric signaling circuits atcertain periods yof the day or night, and has for its particular objectto simplify the means for setting the signal times and to limit theduration of the signal produced when the electric circuit is closed.

My invention will be best understood in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which,

, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my electric signaling clock togetherwith a diagrammatic sketch of the electrical connections. Fig. 2 is aside view of my device showing also the clock and driving mechanism.Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of a portion of the device. Fig. 4 isa view illustrating the action of the scissor switch. Fig. 5 is adetail'view of the contact disk.

Similar numerals of reference designate corres'iondiug parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring now to the drawings, 1A indicates the frame of aclock-mechanism comprising the usual train of wheels. Upon the barrelarbor 2 a spur wheel 3 is mounted to revolve about said arbor.` 'Thiswheel 3 engages with a pinion 4 mounted to turn with the arbor 5 of thecenter wheel 6 and the pitch of the two wheels is such that in thisparticular case the wheel 3 makes one complete revolution to six of thepinion 4, that is, the wheel 3 is a six-hour wheel. Carried by this spurwheel 3 and supported by means of the sleeve 7 and held in place by acollar 8 held to the arbor 2 by the set-screw 9, are, in this case twocontact plates or disks 1() and 11 interlaid by disks of suitableinsulating material 12 and 13 and covered with suitably marked disks 14and 15 indicating the divisions of time.

The contact disks or plates 10 and 11, Fig. 5 are of some flexible andgood conducting material such as copper and are provided withcircumferential contact teeth 16 which are normally bent upwardly aboutthe circumference of the plates 14 and 15. When required to make contactthe teeth 16 are bent downwardly into the plane of the contact disks 10and 11 against the insulating plates 12 and 13 so that they projectslightly beyond the circumference of the insulating plates.

The disk 13 of insulating material carries on its under side a pin 17adapted to Wipe the lever 18 in opposition to a spring 19, the lever 18being limited in its outward motion by a pin 20.

The lever 18 is mounted to turn upon a shaft 21, as is also the ratchetwheel 22, which carries the bushing 23 provided with contact pins 24 and25, adapted to engage the brushes 26 and 27. Upon the lever 18 isloosely mounted the spring-pressed pawl 28 which engages the teeth ofthe ratchet wheel 22 and is adapted to throwback the said wheel on therelease of the lever 18 under the action of the spring 19 after thelever has been advanced by the pin 17.' A contact pawl 29 also engagesthe teeth of the said ratchet wheel 22, but this pawl is insulated fromthe contact brushes 26 and 27 by an insulating plate 30, and the brushes26 and 27 contact pins 24 and 25 as well as the ratchet wheel and leverare insulatedfrom the rest o f the mechanism by the insulating plate 31.

Upon the arbor 5 is further mounted a ratchet wheel 32 adapted to turnwith said arbor and divided into a number of teeth corresponding to thenumber of divisions for one hour on the contact disks 10 and 11, thatis, to the number of contact teeth included between the hour divisionupon said contact disks. This ratchet wheel is engaged by two contactpawls 33 and 34 held by suitable springs 35 and 36 and working about acommon fulcrum 37 forming levers having inner arms engaging the teeth ofsaid ratchet wheel and outer arms adapted to make contactwith' thebrushes 38 and 39. The pawls form a so-called scissor-switch which iscontrolled by the ratchet wheel 32 as follows-The inner arm of the lever33 is made somewhat shorter than the similar arm of the lever 34,

the difference in length determining the duration of the signalproduced. As the ratchet wheel 32 revolves, the inner arm of the lever33 is raised to the top of the tooth of the wheel and thereby throws theouter arm out of contact with the brush 38. At the same time the outerarm of the lever 34 is brought into contact with the brush 39 andremains in contact until the inner arm drops into the nexttooth.However, as soon as the inner arm of the' lever 33 drops into the nexttooth, contact is made between its outer arm and the corresponding brush38 and a circuit may be arm of lever 34 drops into the next tooth Ybrushes 38 and 39 are insulated from the rest'- of the mechanism bymeans of the insulatingl when the contact between the outer arm and thebrush 39 will be broken. The duration of a circuit through these brushesmay therefore be made very short or vcomparatively long depending uponthe diilerence'inv time between the dropping of the twoinner armsintothe next tooth, that is, by making the inner arm of lever 34 ofsuliciently greater length than the corresponding arm of` lever 33,

' The levers or pawls 33 and 34 as well 'as the plate 40.;y

From the brush 38 a wire` 41 leads to a signaling device -42 such as. anordinary electric bell orgong and from there to the battery 43 nallyreturning through the wire 44 to a binding post 45 on the frame `of theclock mechanism. The circuit 41 to 45 contains all the signaling devicessuch as bells, etc. and may be subdivided and arranged as desired. Thesignal devices are adapted to be operated at the times set on the disks14 and 15 and the duration of the signal is limited by thescissor-switch comprising the levers 33 and 34. From the binding. post45 the circuit is through the frame of the mechanism to the arbor 2 and'hub of the spur wheel 3 and sleeve 7 to the conducting plates or disks10 and 11. When the brushesl 46 and 47 make contact with the flexiblecircumferential contact teeth 16 which are bent into the plane of diskand thus project beyond the insulating disks 12 and 13, the circuit isthrough these brushes to the brushes 26 and 27 through the wires 48 and49. The brushes 46 and 47 normally wipe the respective circumierencesott-he insulating disks 12. and 13l and only establish a circuit whenthey come in contact with an extended contact tooth 16. From thesebrushes 26 and 27 .the circuit is through the contact pin 24 engagingthe brush 26 as shown or through the contact pin 25 and brush 27, thencethrough the bushing 23, ratchet Wheel 22, to the contact pawl 29 whichis connected by a wire 50 to the bindvided into six hours which aresubdividedY into :live minutes divisions, each of which contains twoflexible, contact teeth corresponding to two and one-half minutes oftime. fore cover a period of six hours divided into two andlone-halfminute intervals and each ilexible tooth when in the plane ofthe disk will close the circuit and give a suitable signal when it comesin contact with -the brush ne revolution of 'the disk will there- 46.When the six hours have elapsed, the Y pin 17 upon thelower insulatingdisk 13 engages with the lever 18 carrying it inward in opposition tothe spring 19 iinally releasing it and as the leverreturns, the pawl 28throws back the rachet Wheel 22-through the space of .one toothi pin 24out of contact with its brush 26, but

will at 'the same time bring the contact pin 25 into the contact withthe. lower brush 27',

vwhich is in connection with the lower brush 47 which latter brushisadapted to' make contact with the flexible contact teeth of the lowerconducting plate 11. Thus for the next revolution of the spur wheel 3,the contact disk 11 is active for a period oli-.six hours and the upperdisk 10 is inactive during the same period. When the revolution iscomplete the same action takes place, but in this case, as well as thenext, that is, for a period of twelve hours, the contact pins 24 andA 25fail to make contact with the respective brushes 26 and 27 and thecircuit therefore remains open during this period, no signals beinggiven. At theexpiration or' this period of twe ve hours the opposite endof the con- This will throw the contact tact pin 24 makes contact withits brush 26 with the usual practice which requires thel signals to begiven during only a part of a day, say 6 a. m.,-to 6 p. m. Of course,bya suitable number and arrangement of the contact pins, the periods ofactivity `and inactivity may be made as' required "by the particularconditions to be met. l may also increase the number of conducting disksand collecting brushes or increase the size of th(` disk to obtain agreater number of contact teeth and thereby shorter intervals ot' time.Further, i may also controla plurality of signal cicuits by one and thesame movement, it being necessary only to provide a suicient number' ofconducting disks and brushes. y The circuit suspending and changingdevice with its contact pins 24 and 25 produced when the circuit isclosed by said and its brushes 26 and 27 must of course be made moreelaborate to properly take care of the increased number of circuits, butthis hes entirely Within the skill of the ordinary electrician andpresents no particular difficulty.

What l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is1A 1. The combination with an electric signaling circuit and a clockmechanism, of a disk or plate mounted to be turned by said clockmechanism and provided with flexible circumferential contact teetharranged for definite intervals of time, and which when in the plane ofthe disk are adapted to close said electric signaling circuit; a signalincluded in said signaling circuit; and a socalled scissor-switch incircuit therewith and comprising two levers having outer contact armsand inner arms of differentlengths, said levers being controlled by saidclock mechanism and adapted to limit the duration of' said signalproduced when said circuit is closed.

2. The combination with an electric signaling circuitA and a 'clockmechanism, of a disk or plate mounted to be turned by said clockmechanism and provided with flexible circumferential contact teetharranged for definite intervals of time, and whichwhen in y the plane ofthe disk are adapted to closesaid electric signaling circuit; a signalincluded in said signaling circuit; a ratchet wheel operated by saidclock mechanism; and a socalled scissor-switch in said circuit providedwith arms of dierent length and engaging the teeth of said ratchet wheelsaid switch being adapted to limit the duration of said signal producedwhen the said circuit is closed by said contact teeth.

3. An electric signaling clock comprising an ordinary clock mechanism;`an electric signaling circuit containing a source of electrieityand oneor more suitable signaling devices; a disk mounted to turn with saidclock mechanism and provided WithfleXible circumferentialcontact teetharranged for definite intervals of time and which when in the plane ofthe disk are adapted to close said electric signaling circuit; and meansin circuit with said disk adapted to limit the duration of' the signalproduced when the circuit is closed by said contact teeth.

4. An electric signaling clock comprising an ordinary clock mechanism;an electric Asignaling circuit containing a sourceof electricity and oneor more suitable signaling devices; a disk mounted to turn with saidclock -mechanism and provided with flexible circumferential contactteeth arranged for definite intervals of time and which when in theplane ofthe disk are adapted to close said electric signaling circuit;and a scissor-switch in. circuit with said disk adapted to limit theduration of the signal contact teeth.

5. An electric signaling clock comprising an ordinary clock mechanism;an electric signaling circuit adapted to be closed by contact teeth andcontaining a source of'electricity and one or more suitable signalingdevices; a

ydisk mounted to turn With said clock mechanism and provided withflexible circuinferential contact teeth arranged for definite intervalsof time and which when in the plane of the disk are adapted to closesaid electric signaling circuit; means controlled by said clockmechanism to temporarily suspend the action of said teeth; and means incircuit with said disk to limit the duration ofl the signal producedwhen the circuit is closed by said contact teeth.

6. In van electric signaling clock: the combination with a plurality ofindividual clock actuated circuit closing means; of means adapted toautomatically change the circuit from one of said closing means toanother.

7. ln an electric signaling clock: the combination with a plurality ofindividual clockactuated circuit closing means; of means adapted toautomatically change the circuit bination with a plurality ofclock-actuated circuit closing means; of means adapted to change thecircuit from one of said closing means to another; means to temporarilysuspend the action of said closing means; and means to limit theduration .of the signal produced when the signaling circuit is closed.

Q. In an electric signaling clock: the combination with a plurality ofclock actuated circuit closing disks provided with flexible contactteeth, of clock actuated means adapted to change the circuit from onedisk to another.

10. An electric signaling clock comprising an ordinary clock mechanism;an electric signaling circuit containing a source of electricity and oneor more suitable signaling devices; a numberof disks mounted to turnwith said clock mechanism and provided with flexible circumferentialcontact teeth arranged for definite intervals of time and which when inthe plane of their respective disks are adapted to close said electricsignaling circuit; and means to change the circuit from one disk toanother and to temporarily suspend the action of said teeth.

11. An electric signaling clock comprising an ordinaryfclock mechanism;anelectric signaling circuit containing a source of electricity and oneor more suitable signaling devices a number of disks mounted to turnwhich When in the plane of their respective Signed at New York city inthe county of disks are adapted to close said electric signal-v New Yorkand State of New York this third ing circuit; means to change thecircuit from day of August, A. D.' 1905.

one disk to another and to temporarily sus- HENRY S. PRENTISS. 5 pendthe action of said teeth; and means to Witnesses:

limit the duration of the signal produced by A. FABER DU FAUR,

the said contact teeth. RAENA H. Yumzir.

